Friday, 13 July 2012

Bursting Berries and Flying Fruit cages

Two weeks to go to the Goostrey Gooseberry Show. Tension mounts.Reputations are at stake.

In a bid to grow the heaviest berry, the trees have been thinned of small berries to concentrate the nourishment in the bigger ones. For that you need fertilizer and water, but not the unremitting rain we have been having.

Berries burst if the tree sucks up too much water too fast.And burst berries are discarded.Only whole berries may be weighed in the show.The trees in the Frank Carter collection are covered in burst berries.Disaster for any grower.The more I pick off, the more seem to appear.Something has to be done.So, with the help of my young gardener friend, I do what all gooseberry growers do: cover the trees.

Not a problem when you grow trees in three foot high pens, which is the preferred method of most gooseberry growers, but our trees are grown in a six foot high fruit cage to make them more accessible to visitors.

We pull a tarpaulin over the frame.

With the tarpaulin tied securely, I stand back satisfied that I have done my best to protect the berries from an excess of water.With a bit of luck, some berries might be worthy of their breeder at the show.

About Me

In the shadow of the Lovell Telescope at Jodrell Bank is a parcel of land that has been occupied for more than ten thousand years.
At its heart are Toad Hall and The Old Medicine House, home to The Blackden Trust.
The Trust is the guardian of this land and is dedicated to exploring its history through artefacts, architecture and documents; through survey and excavation; through the stories, memories, and the half-forgotten lore that cling to this place.
We organise events suitable for all ages. There are conducted tours, day courses, workshops and longer events, sessions with artefacts and documents, with the fabric of buildings, or out in the field. Our activities draw on the history of Blackden, and each one gives you a window on a different aspect of the past. Learn how to knap flint, make your own sixteenth century herbal medicine, or listen to medieval music in the Old Medicine House. Our courses have something for everyone with an interest in the past.